5 Bizarre Ways to Moisturize Your Skin

If you read the labels on moisturizing products, it can quickly start to sound like you're listing off items in the refrigerator: honey, cucumber, coconut oil, milk, oatmeal, coffee. Why do we have such an interest with putting food on our skin?

Before lab scientists created chemical concoctions to bring youth and beauty to the modern cosmetic world, people relied on what was around them -- which often tended to be food. Cleopatra is said to have bathed in a moisturizing mixture of sour milk and honey. The ancient Greeks bathed in olive oil to help keep their skin smooth and soft. Did they work? Perhaps. Although consuming a food is often the best way to obtain its nutrients, applying some of them topically can sometimes be beneficial, too [source: WebMD]. Many fruits, oils and other edibles have properties that are helpful to the skin. Fruits and veggies contain all sorts of vitamins, which are great for your skin and can even help it to retain moisture. Foods with lactic acid help exfoliate the skin, and oils can help the skin lock in moisture. It's easy to see why people all over the world have used food as a skin treatment for centuries. You can eat it, you can lather yourself in it -- what's not to love?